Cactus and the Mirage
by Weird Girl 14
Summary: Ever since that day, she promised herself she would forget, she wouldn't feel that word anymore. She became numb, thorny like a cactus. But will the mirage change her views?
1. Chapter 1

Weird Girl 15: I'M AAALLIIIIVEEEEE~!

Bob: ...Hm, you haven't posted a story in a long time...

Weird Girl: ^-^ I know right~? I've been busy...so many ideas not which one to choose...! I had a friend help me with choosing.

Bob: Kaitany or Akane?

Me: Both! \(^o^)/

Bob: I see...

Weird Girl: Now, to the chapter!

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

"Hahaha, do you really think that we'll get better, Hana-chan?" Juro asked with dry, hoarse, weak laugh. His skin was pale and white, like a sheet, and his dark eyes were red from illness. His black hair was dry and messy, and stuck up in a few places.

"So we're going to healthy once again?" Hakuro asked, smiling weakly. Hakuro had a crooked smile that revealed some of his yellowed teeth, and his dark brown hair stuck up wildly, commonly known as "bed hair."

"That's great! Hahaha!" Toju laughed hoarsely, his voice cracking as he spoke. They were all sick, laying in clean, white hospital beds. Hana was a young nurse at the Ebisu Hospital, in Japan. She only had been working there for a few months or so. She had became friends with these three men-the patients she tended to. Secretly, she fell for the one named Juro...which had made it harder for her.

"Uh-huh! I'm sure with more rest and medicine, you'll be out of here in no time!" Hana cheerfully responded...lying through her teeth. She wasn't lying about how they needed more rest...about the how the medicine would help... Hana was lying about them ever getting better. They would never get well. She had read the charts, and according to them, and other doctors, their strange illness would only get worse. With every lie she told, it forever stained her white uniform red.

"Great! We'll be doing the same things we used to boys-" Juro's hoarse voice was interrupted by a long, violent coughing fit.

"D-Don't strain yourself! You still need rest, remember?" Hana said quickly, her voice showing clear worry. Hakuro and Toju lay back, silently closing their eyes, their breathing strained.

"I'm fine! Don't worry!" Juro smiled and laughed between coughs. After a minute of violent coughing, a red liquid trickled down his mouth as he coughed into his hand, spitting more of the red fluid-blood. "I-I don't think this is good..."

"It's not," Hana stated, quickly getting up to find a doctor, but she was interrupted by a sound. The sound was long, cold, and it echoed throughout the room. Hana spun back around to see Hakuro and Toju's heart monitors display a straight line across the screen. Juro looked back at Hana, his eyes wide with fear and anguish before he resumed his violent fit, spitting up more dark blood by every second.

Hana left the room to fetch the doctors as quickly as she could. When they arrived back in the room, Juro was laying down, his eyes closed, barely breathing-but at the same time, it was as though he were choking on the very blood he had been coughing up. The doctors and other nurses rushed over to try to save the three invalids. Hana stood off to the side, her eyes wide and tears ran down her frozen cheeks. It felt like everything was moving extremely slow, that nothing would speed up. Then, another cruel, cold sound echoed throughout the room. Hana's eyes darted to Juro's monitor and saw nothing but a straight line. She heard something inside of her shatter. Hana stared, feeling as thought nothing was moving, as though time had stopped.

Hana's steps echoed in the room when she walked in. The white room was empty and the beds was made, the sheets new and clean. The curtains were opened as they let the sunrise come in to happily greet the room...but what was so happy today? She walked over by the three beds that were now, also, empty. She gently ran her fingers along the frames of the beds, the blankets, and the pillows as tears formed in her eyes before rolling down her cheeks. She could still recall their smiles, laughter, and cheerfulness that used to make this room so alive. She continued to cry as she sat down on the bed that Juro used to lay in. She took out a pair of glasses and stared at them. She stopped wearing them when Juro said she looked prettier without them. Her eye sight wasn't that bad anyways, so she had stopped wearing them.

Hana continued to stare for the longest moment as her tears slowly began to dry up. When they stopped their flow, she placed the glasses back on. She felt numb inside. She felt like nothing in this world, no matter how tragic, how happy, could affect her. That she could get to know a person ill on a bed, let them pass away, and feel no remorse. Walk by beds with rows of ill or dead people and feel no sadness. She stood up as she went to the curtains and closed them, making the room dimmer, before leaving the room. She promised herself she would forget everything-even the two letter word** that she used to feel, but no longer would. She could go back to work as a nurse at this hospital without a problem. That was good news, wasn't it?

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><p><p>

A/N: I DO NOT OWN VOCALOID! SO GO AWAY, LAW SUIT PEOPLE AND YOUR FANCY SUITS AND BRIEF CASES! D:

Bob: ...That sounded smart...

Weird Girl: You really think so? :D

Bob: No. That was sarcasm...

Weird Girl: D:

Weird Girl: Reviews for cookies~!


	2. Chapter 2

Weird Girl: HELLLOOOO WOOOORRLLLD!

Bob: ...When can I go home...?

Weird Girl: \(^o^)/ You are home!

Bob: ...Sorta creepy...

Weird Girl: Lets go on with the story! : D

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

It had been so long since that day. It had been a long time since she forgot that very word. Hana continued her work without a problem, keeping the promise she made to herself. She had became very pesstimistic. Nothing made her happy. She never smiled or laughed. Nobody could made her smile or laugh anymore, even though they tried. Besides, she perfers not to anyways.

Hana walked into the room to tend to her patient, and as usual, a paper airplane came gliding at her. And as usual, she would catch it and throw it in the trash bin that sat by the door.

"Must you continue this everyday?" Hana asked boredly as she sighed.

"Must you always throw my planes away before you even take a look what's in them?" the man on the hospital bed teased, mimicking her tone and sigh before he smiled and laughed. His hair dark, dark brown hair was messy and dry. His skin was pale and his sickly eyes where also brown. Over his eyes he wore oval framed glasses that were similar to Hana's. His name was Hiroshi, the patient Hana tends to. She's been tending to him for three months now.

"What's so amusing to you?" Hana asked as she began to fix his IV.

"Nothing exactly." Hiroshi responded, then smiled. "So...have you even been in love before?"

Hana paused for a moment, then spoke. "It's not that I fell in love, it was more like I picked up the love which has fallen..."

"So you have?" Hiroshi smiled, giving a look before he began to cough, placing his hand over his mouth. "By the way, when do you think I'll get well soon?"

"You're most likely not going to get well at all, only worse." Hana responded with a chill in her tone as she looked at the chart.

Hiroshi paused and stared before smiling once more. "_If_ I get better, when will it be?"

"Not for a long time..._if_ it ever happens." Hana said, flipping a page.

"What if I get better soon? And what if I get to leave this place?" Hiroshi began saying, then stretching his slender arms. "What if I get to travel the world?"

"_If_ you ever get better. _If_ you'll somehow live through this strange illness." Hana spoke, trying to make her words sound severe.

"Exactly!" Hiroshi laughed horsely. "_If_ means there's a possibility of it happening!"

"Like..._if _you could die?" Hana looked at her, her tone feeling like ice.

Hiroshi frowned in thought before smiling. "Yup! But it could also be wrong, too! So...who knows?" he laughed happily before he began to cough once more.

"I don't get you..." she sighed tiredly.

"And I don't get _you_." Hiroshi teased. "Why so gloomy~?"

"I'm not being gloomy." Hana stated. "I just tell the truth."

Hiroshi frowned in thought once more before looking over to the window. The curtains of the windows where closed, only allowing rays of light coming in through the cracks. Hiroshi smiled once more and looked at Hana. "Today seems like a beautiful day. Why don't you open up the curtains?"

"Do you _want_ me to open them?" Hana sighed, sounding exasperated. Hiroshi paused in moment's thought, then gave a nod. Hana walked over to the curtains and pulling them to the side, seperating them so they could allow the beautiful light into the room. "What's so beatiful about today?"

"It's not raining, it's not cloudy, the sun's out and shining. I could go on forever if you want!" the ill man teased.

"No thanks." she responded as she rolled her eyes, then began heading to the door. "I'll be checking on you in a few hours." then she left.

Hiroshi watched her leave the room then leaned over to a wooden drawer that sat next to his bed, pulled open the drawer, took out a piece of paper and a pencils. He pulled the board that was attached to the bed that would be used as a table for eating over his lap, place the paper on the table, and began contently moving his pencil along the paper, drawing.

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><p>AN: (scream) I DONT OWN VOCALOID! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!

Bob: ...Short chapters are short...

Weird Girl: : D

Bob: Reviews will be having presents for the rest of their life, silent readers will be forced to scream everything they say...Weird Girl...where do you come up with this...?

Weird Girl: MY MIND!

Bob: . . .


	3. Chapter 3

Weird Girl: THREE! THREE'S A MAGIC NUMBER!

Bob: No it's not.

Weird Girl: (screams bloody burder)

Bob: 0_0

Weird Girl: Now onto the story~ :3

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

"Why don't you lighten up and smile? The patients would really like that you know." Dr. Sora Suiga suggested. He had rich, golden hair and blue eyes. Hana and Dr. Suiga were in the hallway having a chat, since today appeared to be a slow day. "It would really help."

"Hmph." Hana just gave a look. "Does it really matter?"

"Well, it could help warm their hearts and give them hope." Dr. Suiga explained.

"Hope for what?" Hana asked, though she knew what he meant.

"Dr. Suiga, we need you in the operating room." a nurse with two pink, tight curls came up to him.

"Just try to be more cheerful." he said to her before she left.

"Yes." Hana said with no meaning as she went back to work also. She walked down the white halls and entered the room of her patient, Hiroshi.

"Ohayo~!" He greeted with a hoarse laugh as he threw a paper airplane at her.

"Ohayo." She greeted back, catching the plane and throwing it in the waste bin as usual. "When are you going to stop waiting paper?"

"I'm not waiting paper." He smiled. "You're the one wasting them. When will you stop to look at the planes?"

"Never." Hana gave an exasperated sigh as she walked over to the window, pulling the curtains open. "I assume you want the curtains open?"

"And your assumtion was right!" Hiroshi cheerfully stated, then had a painful cough at the end.

"Is there anything else you would need?" Hana asked, though, sounding like it would be troublesome.

"Well, can I ask one thing?" Hiroshi began.

"What?" Hana turned around to answer his question.

"...Can I call you, my 'Saboten Hana'?" he asked, smiling a bit.

"Your 'Cactus Flower'?" Hana raised a brow.

"Yeah..._My_ Cactus Flower..." Hiroshi smiled as he extended his hand, reaching over to stroke her cheek.

Hana gave a look as she pushed his hand away, making him lower his arm. While she was in the process, he accidently got some of her red lipstick on his thumb.

"Ow!" he acted though as he was pricked, acting as though the lipstick was a bit of blood, happily putting to his lips, sucking on it as you would do if you actually did prick your finger. When he was done, he laughed joyfully. Hana stared at him with a look like she didn't get him.

"Is that all?" Hana asked. Hiroshi continued to smile as he nodded. "Well, I'll be off then." she said, and with that, she left.

Hiroshi leaned over to the wodden drawer that was right beside his bed and grabbed out a piece of paper and pencil. As he began to draw, he he discovered that his hand began to quiver, shaking, not even able to hold his pencil. Hiroshi was quite surprise, since this never happened before, or gradually began to be like this. He placed his other hand on his quivering arm and gave a sad smile to himself. "It appears that I don't have much time left..." but he decided to pull out another piece of paper that appeared to already been drawn on and began folding it.

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><p>AN: I DON'T OWN VOCALOID! DEAL WITH IT! D:

Weird Girl: YAY! :D

Bob: What are you "Yay-ing" about?

Weird Girl: ...I have no idea... ^-^d

Bob: . . . Okay then...

Weird Girl: Flamers will be eatin by a monster, silent readers will be blow-horned, and good reviews will be known as the awesome people!

Translation: Ohayo=Good morning


	4. Chapter 4

Weird Girl: HELLO MY SLAVES!

Bob: That's a nice way to greet your readers...

Weird Girl: Well, anyways! Here it is, chapter four!

Bob: Start reading...!

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

The next day was bright and beautiful, much more clearer and brighter than the day before. It was alslo pretty quiet. Everybody was working, patients were being taken care of, everything was usual in the hospital.

Hana stood in the room, staring out the window. She saw a group of people carrying a casket, holding a funeral for a departed one. She began to go back to the day where she made a promise to herself. Thinking about the past. Remembering that day. Her daydream was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.

"What?" Hana turned around.

"I just want to give you something..." He smiled as he sat up as if he was about to get out of bed, reached over to the drawer, pulling it open.

"What do you want to give me?" she asked curiously, waiting to see.

Hiroshi pulled out a piece of paper folded into an envlope shape. He pressed it against his lips and handed it to Hana. "Here..."

"Huh? What's this?" Hana stared at it.

"I would love for you to open it..." He smiled tiredly. "And not just throw it away..." he said as he began to laugh a bit.

His laughing slowly stopped as he slowly closed his eyes and collasped. Hana stood there her eyes widen a bit of surprise, then returned back to her normal expression, giving a tiresome sigh as she watched him fall. Hana walked out and calmly called out for doctors. Doctors and nurses immediately rushed over and tried their best to help. Hana just stood off to the side, staring at the letter that he gave her. A long pained sound echoed in the room.

The next morning, Hana entered the room here Hiroshi no longer stayed. She stared at his bed, imagining him sitting there, smiling, about to throw another plane. "If I'm a cactus...than he was only a mirage..." she silently said to herself, turning around to leave.

As she was about to walk out the door, she accidently knocked over the waste bin filled with paper. She stared at it and began to pick them up. As Hana began to pick them up, she remembered Hiroshi saying something about getting the chance to look at them. She began to open up the airplanes and took a look inside of them.

"Huh...?" Hana stared at them, confused. Inside each paper airplane was a picture of her-only smiling. Everyone of them was a picture of her smiling. She picked up some of them, and remembered the drawer and ran over to it. She opened the drawer and let the papers fly out everwhere. She looked at all of them. They were all pictures of her smiling, happily. There were some laid out perfectly, showing how well of an artist is to where he couldn't even hold a pencil, only able to draw scribbles.

Hana then pulled out the paper that was folded into a letter out of her pocket. She slowly began to open it. What she found inside was another, perfect and beutiful picture of her smiling, but along with a pink flower that could only be found on a cactus. "That's right...I'm your Saboten Hana..."

Hana then quickly got up and ran outside to the funeral that was taking place at the moment. She ran through the halls, passing people, going through doors and down stairs. She finally arrived at the funeral. Everyone had a sad expression, wearing black clothing to show their sarrow. In the casket was Hiroshi, surrounded by flowers the took up the rest of the space. He didn't appear to have his glasses though. He laid there in the casket, looking peaceful, and still smiling gently a bit.

Hana walked over to the casket that was already in the ground a little. She then took her glasses off and placed it right beside him. "I don't need these anymore..." she silently. "I guess it is okay to love again...Thank you...for teaching me that..." she said as her eyes got glossy, pressing the flower gently against her lips.

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><p>AN: I DONT OWN VOCALOID! ...Hm, I wish I did though...

Bob: ...This is the shortest story you've ever wrote...

Weird Girl: I know, right? I kills me inside~ ^-^

Bob: . . .Yet, you smile. . .

Weird Girl: COOKIES AND GIFTS FOR GOOD REVIEWS! FLAMERS WILL GET ONLY COAL! SILENT READERS WILL GET _NOTHING_!

Bob: ...What is this? Christmas time?

Weird Girl: ...Well, there's this thing called Christmas in July and crud... :3

Bob: ...That's...not this week...

Weird Girl: ...Oh...


	5. After Math Thingy

Weird Girl 15: HELLO EVERYONE~!

Bob: Hello, I'm being held here against my will...!

Weird Girl: Bob! (gives look)

Bob: ...It's true.

Weird Girl: Yeah, it is~ :3

Bob: Anyways, that was a very short and horrible story...

Weird Girl: Hey! Be nice! It was short because the song is already a story itself, you already know what's going on. Unlike how it was with Kagome that allows you to create your own ideas. Plus, I've been very busy.

Bob: With what?

Weird Girl: I'm still working on Artificial. It's completed, me and KawaiiKitty are still editing a bit, um...finding out the process works and crud...

Bob: Woah, I thought you got bored of that!

Weird Girl: ...No. : l

Bob: . . .

Weird Girl: I know its not much and everything, but you know, I haven't posted a story on FF and decided to post this even though its suckish-possibly~

Bob: . . .

Weird Girl: I LOVE YOU ALL~! THANK YOU FOR READING!

Bob: Please help me~

Weird Girl: Bob!

Bob: ...

Weird Girl: See ya! ^-^


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